CH 25

Blanche rose from bed and quietly accepted Agat’s favor.

“Thanks. I will eat well.”

Around that time, a third voice called out Blanche’s pseudonym. It was Agat’s friend, Phoebe.

“Irene! Come and eat! It’s warmer here because it’s next to the stove!”

At that moment, Agat took Blanche’s hand and led her.

“Let’s go, Irene.”

Reluctantly, Blanche followed Agat to the bedside of Phoebe, although a more appropriate term was a pile of straw.

Phoebe, a 16-year-old just like Agat, was as cheerful as the freckles across her face. Phoebe’s face with her pink hair and gold inside was definitely close to the hearth.

“Come on, both of you sit here.”

Agat expressed her gratitude.

“Phoebe. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Blanche did not turn down their favor, and mingled between them. Although not leading the conversation, Agat and Phoebe did a lot of talking on behalf of the silent Blanche.

After a single complaint about the hard work and cold weather, Phoebe’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Ah! Guys. I saw the one who would become the Countess from afar!”

Contrary to Blanche’s hard face, Agat spit out a sigh.

“You mean Mariette? Good for you, Phoebe!”

“That’s right. I just saw her get off the wagon. As you said, she was a very beautiful person. Even on a long trip, she had curly red hair. And Irene. She had fresh green eyes like you! Huh? Come to think of it, Irene, your hair color and Lady Mariette’s hair color are the same!”

“Yes. What a coincidence.”

Blanche felt her heart grow cold as she replied.

Once again, she didn’t like the fact that her twin sister was the hostess of this large mansion. Even if her husband will be as old as a grandfather.

‘I don’t regret running away. I just don’t like Mariette benefitting from it. Just like Mariette did to me in the past.’

Blanche’s expression became more difficult to manage as she thought of Mariette. Fortunately, she didn’t need to hang out with these two innocent and kind girls for too long.

This is because the sound of angry footsteps, which could not be covered up by the sound of the strong winter wind, suddenly came to the temporary maids’ quarters.

Thud! The paper-thin door opened.

[System/ Roxanne is hostile against you.]

“Irene!”

She couldn’t understand Roxanne’s attempts to harass her by wasting her own break time with Blanche. But she soon found out why she did.

In the next moment, Roxanne roared at her.

“What the hell did you say to the senior maids! Do you know how mad they were at me because of you?!”

It seems that the sparks of what happened at the well splattered on Roxanne.

Roxanne was furious and even pointed at Blanche.

“Do you really get thorns on your tongue if you don’t make trouble for even a day? Or are you rebelling against me now or what?!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Blanche pretended and Roxanne gritted her teeth.

“You don’t know? Great. I’ll tell you! Follow me right now!”

Blanche held out the black bread in her hand to Agat before following Roxanne.

“Please hold this. Agat. You can eat it if you want. Actually, this bread is yours.”

That’s right. There was no way a temporary maid could take the share of the person who did not come to the dining hall in the first place.

Kind-hearted Agat glanced at Roxanne, who was very angry. Apparently, She seemed to be worried about Blanche.

“Irene… … .”

“I’m fine.”

Roxanne’s enthusiasm grew even more hostile at her calm voice.

“Come on out!”

So Blanche went to the laundry with Roxanne. And saw it.

The clothes that had been washed clean with frozen hands were all soiled in the mud.

As Roxanne had hoped, it was the moment when a crack finally appeared in Blanche’s face.

Roxanne smiled contentedly and threatened.

“Can you see? What you did!”

Blanche saw through Roxanne’s tricks at once.

‘I didn’t do other people’s laundry and I did my own work, so there was no reason to be scolded. So from now on, you will make up something that will get me scolded, is that it?’

Blanche’s forehead heated up, but she had no choice but to apologize. Because she hadn’t saved Ricardo yet. But that didn’t mean she was one without a plan.

Blanche delivered the malice wrapped in obedience.

“Sorry. Roxanne. I will wash it again.”

“Yes?”

“If I stay up all night and wash it until tomorrow morning, I will be able to bring clean clothes to the soldiers guarding the castle within the deadline. Right?”

Roxanne raised her nose at her flowing apology.

“Yes? Hmmm. Are you saying you’re going to do the laundry with your own mouth?”

“Yes. Roxanne.”

“Great. Then let’s go to the well right now.”

Blanche nodded calmly. She sharpened the blade of revenge inside.

That was then. The number of people in the laundry area increased.

“Is there anyone here?”

Roxanne rushed to the stranger.

“Yes. I’m leaving!”

Eventually, a conversation between a woman and Roxanne who did not know who she was continued. A strange woman held out a dress to Roxanne.

“It’s Lady Mariette’s dress. Leave it to the chief laundry and wash it clean.”

“Yes.”

In an instant, a different emotion passed in Blanche’s green eyes. The moment she heard that it was Mariette’s clothes, a good idea came to my mind.

‘The temporary maid, Irene, cannot enter the dungeon where Ricardo is imprisoned. But Mariette can.’

Besides, if she pretended to be Mariette and escaped with Ricardo, she might get Mariette in trouble, even just a little.

Blanche was very pleased with her new plan.

* * *

Blanche, who was left alone in the laundry area, took off the burn stickers on her body and changed into Mariette’s dress.

Although dirty, the dress, which was cleaner compared to the clothes of the temporary maid, matched her well even without a corset. It was as if it belonged to Blanche from the beginning.

Blanche went straight to the dungeon.

Unlike Mariette, Blanche had short-hair, but it didn’t matter because she could easily imitate Mariette. So no one dared to stop her.

Blanche who arrived at the entrance to the dungeon.

“Hey. Who’s in charge here?”

“Who? Ah! Lady Mariette!”

A guard ran in front of her as if rolling.

Blanche raised her eyebrows on purpose.

“Do you know me?”

“Of course I do. Aren’t you Lady Mariette!”

“How do you know my face, a mere guard?”

“I’ve seen you before in a portrait!”

A portrait of a partner before marriage.

It seems that the guard secretly went to the Count’s art gallery.

Blanche put on a sullen expression.

“But you’re the only one protecting this place?”

The guard groaned with his bright red face.

“Until the young lady’s wedding goes smoothly, the safety of the guests comes before the prisoner. My colleagues were mobilized to guard the castle.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“But. But what brings you so far…”

When Blanche stood still looking at him, the guard couldn’t seem to speak.

Slowly, Blanche approached him with a subtle look.

“Well. Why did I come all the way here?”

“I, I…”

His pupils were shaking. Then a fist came raging, landing on the guard’s stomach.

He fainted, without a single scream.

Blanche rummaged through the guard’s arms and pulled out an old key. She passed through the dark dungeon corridor and stood in front of a familiar iron door.

Fortunately, there was no further commotion.

There was only one guard, and the dungeon was empty except for Ricardo’s room.

When Blanche opened the prison door, a pitch black darkness unfolded, without a single light.

She sighed and took her lamp out of her inventory. At a glance, you could see that the old lantern was stained with grime. It was the reward item [Edith’s Lamp] received along with an [Experience Apple] after Blanche broke the Hidden Quest the day before.

Blanche licked her lips.

“Ricardo. Are you there?”

Instead of answering, only the sound of chains rubbing against the floor came back.

With [Edith’s Lamp] in hand, Blanche cautiously entered the prison.

The prison was a narrow space, only about ten steps wide. Blanche only had to walk about four steps before she found Ricardo.

The fifteen-year-old boy wore restraints on his wrists that were attached to the wall just like last dawn. And again, it was weird.

The pupils of the boy laying down on the bed were blurry, like he wasn’t even there.

Blanche clicked his tongue briefly.

‘I’m glad he didn’t scream like yesterday.’

Ricardo only blinked the cold blue eyes that resembled Illia’s, but when he saw Blanche, he didn’t react at all.

The boy with jet-black hair was no different from a living corpse. But it was strange.

Because Ricardo’s helpless appearance looked fragile as if it was about to break, but he still looked pure.

‘The only thing resembling Illia is the color of his eyes. Perhaps his mother was also pretty. You’re handsome for someone who wasn’t the main character.’

Ricardo was an outstanding young man to the extent that Blanche, who was usually indifferent towards other people’s looks, was interested.

It overshadowed the fact that he had not washed properly in four months.

Blanche checked his status window.

[Ricardo Giotto LV 15

Age 15 / Male

Health 12/150

Mana 80/80

Fame 41

Morality 99

Stress 999]

Stress 999.

It was clear that this was the reason Blanche couldn’t escape with Ricardo the night before. Blanche took a deep breath.

‘I should have checked the status window first yesterday. I was stupid.’

But. Who would have guessed that one of the villains that will make the continent a hell in the future was so broken?

Blanche quietly raised the old lamp in her hand to eye level.

A familiar status window appeared.